What to Expect When You're Recovering From SmartLipo®

You’ve done the heavy lifting, probably literally, to get to within your ideal weight, but stubborn pockets of fat linger. Or perhaps age or other circumstances have added a little fat to your once thinner body. 

However you ended up with extra deposits of fat, you’re making the smart choice to have us remove them with SmartLipo®. 

All forms of liposuction are effective, which is why this fat removal method ranks No. 4 in the United States for surgical cosmetic procedures. But our SmartLipo procedure makes the recovery process go more smoothly and quickly.

To give you an idea about what you can expect in terms of recovering from your SmartLipo procedure, our team here at Advanced Surgeons pulled together the following information.

The days following your SmartLipo

One of the many benefits of SmartLipo over traditional liposuction is that in most cases, we use local anesthesia instead of general anesthesia. This means you’re far less groggy afterward and you’re likely free to go home that day, though we suggest you enlist someone to drive you.

Before we send you home, we tightly bandage the areas where we performed the liposuction. When you get home, follow our instructions for these bandages. First, it’s imperative that you keep these compression bandages in place, as they reduce swelling and hold the contour of your new shape. 

You’ll need to change these bandages as directed, and we suggest that you get someone to help you with this task. The small incision sites may leak fluid, which is perfectly normal, and you should change the bandages when they get wet.

Other than bandage and compression care, we ask that you take it easy and limit your movements for the first 2-3 days after your SmartLipo procedure. This will speed healing

If you experience any soreness, you may take over-the-counter pain medications to help you find relief.

Lastly, depending on where we performed your SmartLipo, you may have to adjust your sleeping position.

The weeks following SmartLipo

Once you get through the first few days, you can start getting back to your normal routine, within reason. 

We still don’t want you doing any exercise for a couple of weeks and no strenuous exercise for 4-6 weeks. We also don’t want you immersed in water for a month, so no swimming.

With the SmartLipo procedure, we use laser energy to liquefy your fat before we suction it out. The result is less bruising and swelling. That said, these side effects are still there, but they should start to clear between three and six weeks afterward. 

During this time, you should continue to wear your compression garments.

As the swelling goes down, you start to get your first glimpses of the end result. Not only will the extra lumps and rolls of fat be smaller, you’ll also see tighter skin in your treatment areas thanks to the SmartLipo heating technology.

In all, you should count on at least 6-8 weeks before you realize your final results.

If you have more questions about what to expect after your SmartLipo procedure, feel free to contact one of our offices in Valhalla, Carmel, or Poughkeepsie, New York.